Government urged to encourage greater recycling of raw materials

The government has been urged to do more to ensure valuable raw materials continue circulating across Britain.

The Material Security Working Group – which includes bodies such as Engineering Employers Federation (EEF) and Friends Of The Earth – has written to Whitehall warning that a failure to do so could result in dire consequences for the British economy.

The group suggested that the cost of wood, plastic and rubber could all dramatically rise unless more Brits start putting waste materials in recycling bins, as the supply of these resources is always falling and demand is likely to rise with the global population.

Speaking to prw.com, EEF’s head of climate and environment and policy, Gareth Stace, argued that the government has not yet done enough to protect manufacturers from rising material costs.

He said: “Whilst the government’s Resource Security Action was a step in the right direction, it falls short of meeting the challenges we will face when obtaining new resources will become difficult and costly.

“Government must now step up its ambitions and produce a bolder plan of actions that deals with the challenges not just now but in the longer term. This is vital not just from an environmental perspective but to ensure a long-term sustainable future for manufacturing.”

According to waste-management-world.com, the letter asks the government to consider an Office for Resource Management in order to deal with this crisis more efficiently.